Gilles Marini
| died= | hometown= Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France | knownfor= Actor | season= Dancing with the Stars 8 Dancing with the Stars 15 | partner= Cheryl Burke (Season 8) Peta Murgatroyd (Season 15) | place= 2 (Season 8) 6 (Season 15) | highestscore= 30 (Argentine Tango, Waltz, Salsa & Paso Doble; Season 8) 29.5 (Rumba, Quickstep & Salsa; Season 15) | lowestscore=24 (Cha-Cha-Cha; Season 8) 24 (Foxtrot; Season 15) | averagescore= 28.1 (Season 8) 26.2 (Season 15) }} Gilles Marini is a celebrity from Season 8 and Season 15 of Dancing with the Stars. Early Life Marini was born in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France to a Greek mother and Italian father. After working as a baker in his father's bakery since he was eight years old and high school, he joined the French army and was stationed in Paris, where he served as a fireman in the Paris Fire Brigade. It was in Paris where Marini met Fred Goudon, a photographer who introduced him to the world of modeling. After fulfilling his military duties, he went to the United States to learn English while working as a model. He began his career as a model in his early twenties. One of his first jobs was a television commercial for Bud Light beer. He made his acting debut at the age of 29 in the 2005 horror flick, Screech of the Decapitated. Career He played Dante in Sex and the City: The Movie, in which he did a full frontal nude scene. He has appeared in Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck, The Bold and the Beautiful, Passions, and 2 Broke Girls. His film credits include One and the Other (L'Une et L'Autre) and The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down. He was introduced as a recurring character in ABC's hit family drama Brothers & Sisters. He played Luc Laurent, the French love interest of Rachel Griffiths' character Sarah Walker in what was originally was supposed to be a five episode arc, but was promoted to a series regular. The series was cancelled in May 2011, after the fifth season ended. He also appears as Bay Kennish's biological father, Angelo Sorrento, in Switched at Birth. It was announced 18 September that he would become a series regular for the second season. In season three, episode sixteen, the character of Angelo Sorrento died due to injuries he sustained in an automobile accident due to an aneurysm. Marini will possibly make occasional appearances in flashbacks or fantasy appearances about how he may have been had he been alive. Personal Life Marini married his wife, Carole, in 1998. They have two children, a son Georges (born 1998) and a daughter, Julianna (born 2006). Dancing with the Stars 8 It was announced 8 February 2009 that Marini would participate in the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars. His professional partner was Cheryl Burke. Gilles and Cheryl came in as the runners-up. On 19 May 2009, then-seventeen-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson and her partner, Mark Ballas were crowned champions of that season, defeating Marini & Burke by one percent. Scores Dancing with the Stars 15 He also took part in the fifteenth season of Dancing with the Stars for another chance to win the mirrorball trophy. He danced with season fourteen winner, Peta Murgatroyd. They were the eighth couple eliminated from the competition, alongside Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Scores * Additional score from guest judge: singer, dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul. * For that week's salsa trio challenge, Marini & Murgatroyd chose Chelsie Hightower to dance alongside them. Trivia * During Season 8, Gilles tied the record of perfect scores in a season with five that was held by Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4), Joey Fatone (Season 4), and Mel B. * He is one of five celebrities to average 28 points per dance in a season, along with Kristi Yamaguchi, Meryl Davis, Melissa Rycroft (all star season), and Riker Lynch. Gallery Gilles-Cheryl-Promo8.jpg Gilles Marini S8.jpg Gilles-cheryl-argentine-tango.jpg 300 marini gilles 060208.jpg 00000004-1579.jpg 04d844d46b3e7a8b3fdf276b462081de.jpg Gilles-Marini-6.jpg Gilles-marini-ni-shirtless-with-black-underwear-all-people-photo-u1.jpg Gilles_&_Peta_S15.jpg GillesMarini-Promo15.jpg Foxtrot-gilles-peta.jpg Category:Contestants Category:Males Category:Season 8 contestants Category:Season 15 contestants Category:Actors Category:Runners-up Category:Guest judges